Now I know a couple of farmers who are being paid Government Subsidies to NOT farm their land. The government came in, and paid them more than they could make by farming the land.

Another tool in reducing the global food supply.

Quote:

Critics of agricultural subsidies argue further that they promote poverty in developing countries by artificially driving down world crop prices[5]. Agriculture is one of the few areas where developing countries have a comparative advantage. This makes developing countries into dependent buyers of food from wealthy countries, causing local farmers to lose their land rather than allowing them to develop their own agriculture and therefore self-sufficiency.
...
In America, critics also argue that agricultural subsidies go mostly to the biggest farms who need subsidization the least. Research from Brian M. Riedl at the Heritage Foundation showed that nearly three quarters of subsidy money goes to the top 10% of recipients.[7] Thus, the large farms, which are the most profitable because they have economies of scale, receive the most money. The discrepancy is only widening. Since 1990, payments to large farms have nearly tripled, while payments to small farms have remained constant.[8] Brian M. Riedl argues that the subsidy money is helping large farms buy out small farms. "Specifically, large farms are using their massive federal subsidies to purchase small farms and consolidate the agriculture industry. As they buy up smaller farms, not only are these large farms able to capitalize further on economies of scale and become more profitable, but they also become eligible for even more federal subsidies—which they can use to buy even more small farms."[9] Critics also note that, in America, over 90% of money goes to staple crops of corn, wheat, soybeans and rice while growers of other crops get shut out completely.